Under the patronage of Hamdan bin Zayed.. Hazza bin Hamdan bin Zayed honors the winners of an award "List of gold" 2025
ABU DHABI, 20 JANUARY / WAM / Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region, Sheikh Hazza bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan honored the winners of the third session of the “Narrative of Gold” award, in a ceremony organized by the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language, affiliated with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, at Al Dhafra Fort, to celebrate the pioneers of folk narratives and storytellers. And innovators in the fields of storytelling and visual narration, and in confirmation of the award’s growing role in preserving and reviving the Emirati and Arab heritage within a cultural vision that enhances the presence of the popular story in collective memory.
His Excellency Saud Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, congratulated the winners, stressing the importance of the award in embodying the vision of the wise leadership, which places preserving the ancient art of Arab narrative and enhancing the UAE’s position in the fields of global creativity at the core of its priorities.
His Excellency pointed to the remarkable expansion in participation that included 37 countries, which reflects the award’s ability to build new bridges for cultural dialogue, enhance soft power tools, and open broad horizons for efforts aimed at preserving Emirati and Arab narratives, and developing research and innovation in the field of intangible heritage.
His Excellency Al Hosani explained that the winning works embody a fine balance between academic presentation and the spirit of creative narrative, which enhances the presence of the Emirati cultural identity in the international arena, and gives it a wider area of influence.
During the ceremony, Sheikh Hazza bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan honored the winners in the short story section for unpublished works, namely, the Moroccan writer Abdel-Barr Al-Souldi for his collection “Bleeding Spectra,” the Egyptian writer Mohammed Mansour Mohammed for his collection “More Forty Similar People,” the Egyptian writer Sharif Saleh for his collection “Double Tales,” and the Omani writer Dr. Ghalia bint Issa Al-Zubaidiyah for her collection “The Well of Absence: From Water Tales in Mythology.” Omani.
In the short story branch of published narrative works, Sheikh Hazza bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan honored the Kuwaiti writer Yousef Dhiyab Khalifa for his short story collection “The Time of the Pearl Master”, published by “Dhat Al Salasil Publications House” in 2024.
He honored the Egyptian writer Miral Al-Tahawy, winner of the Popular Narratives branch, for her book, “Far from Burqa on the Message: Love Poems of Bedouin Women,” published by the Al-Mahrousa Center in 2020.
In the Narrators branch, Sheikh Hazza bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan honored the Emirati poet and writer Ali Al Kindi Al Murar, in appreciation of his great efforts in documenting the Emirati narrative and reviving local memory through his writings, programs and contributions, which formed an essential pillar in preserving popular heritage and transmitting it to new generations.
Sheikh Hazza bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan honored the winners in the Emirati Narrative branch, who are two prominent figures from the United Arab Emirates, the historian and writer Jamal bin Huwaireb, who is considered one of the most prominent actors in shaping the local narrative scene and has made solid contributions to documenting Emirati and Gulf Arab narratives, and His Excellency Hoda Ibrahim Al Khamis, founder of the Abu Dhabi Group for Culture and Arts, founder and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, The prominent cultural figure who contributed, through the initiatives of the Abu Dhabi Group for Culture and Arts, to shaping the features of the contemporary cultural and musical narrative, and enhancing Abu Dhabi’s presence as a global platform stemming from the depth of Emirati identity.
The awards ceremony was witnessed by His Excellency Nasser Mohammed Al Mansouri, Undersecretary of the Court of the Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region, His Excellency Saud Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, and His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Tamim, President of the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language, along with a number of senior officials in the region.
His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Tamim said that the Gold Narrative Award has proven, through its three sessions, that it stimulates the contemporary Arab narrative movement to pay attention to the great achievement in the popular narrative heritage, and the visions, ideas and ancient traditions it contains.
His Excellency added that the award in its new session attracted distinguished narrative experiences from the Arab world and outside it, confirming the originality of its approach, and consolidating its position as a platform concerned with reviving the traditions of the Arab narrative heritage, and motivating creators and researchers to draw inspiration from it and re-present it in modern and innovative formulations that suit the times.
The current session of the “Gold Narrative” Award has consolidated its growing presence in the global cultural scene, after witnessing a significant expansion in the scope of international participation, as the number of participating countries increased to 37 countries, compared to 22 countries in the first session, achieving an increase of 68% in less than three years since its launch in 2023, which reflects the impact of the award and its ability to reach new horizons in the creative arena, especially with the addition of countries participating for the first time, which is Albania. Austria, Chad, Denmark, Italy and Japan, which confirms the widening of its reach and the deepening of its presence at the international level.
The “Gold Narrative” Award, which was launched by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center in 2022, continues to promote Arab culture, and support the presence and revival of the Arabic language, by honoring popular narratives and Arabic literature at the local and global levels. The award contributes to reviving the arts of folk tales and storytelling as an integral part of Arab heritage, and presents these arts in a contemporary framework that highlights the wisdom of heritage and the aesthetics of narrative, so that this heritage remains alive in the collective memory of future generations.
In continuation of the award’s pioneering role, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center opened nominations for the fourth cycle of the award.
For more information or to register, you can contact via email: sardalthahab@dctabudhabi.ae.
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